Brit boy, 7, raises £85k in one day for Haiti appeal

London, Jan 25 (ANI): A seven-year-old British boy is said to have raised 85,000 pounds for earthquake victims in Haiti in just one day.

Charlie Simpson had been deeply moved by the plight of the Haitians and had wanted to do something for them.

"I just think it was quite sad when I saw the pictures on the TV," the Mirror quoted him as saying on his JustGiving page.

"I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives. I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti," he said.

He had initially hoped to raise a more modest sum of 500 pounds for Unicef's Haiti appeal by pedalling five miles round South Park, near his home in Fulham, West London.

But things began to take off after he put his appeal on the JustGiving website, which helps raise online charity cash, and his mum Leonora was stunned with the response it got.

"He was really upset by the pictures on TV. He actually burst into tears. He sat on my lap and we had a chat about the things he could do," she said.

"He decided to do the cycle ride and he made me do a sponsorship form and that was it. We sent it out on the web and it just went everywhere.

"I am so proud of him.

"What started off as a little cycle round the park with his dad has turned into something a lot bigger than that and we can't believe it.

"He's done really well. He's worked hard and he's raised a phenomenal amount of money. He really felt strongly about this and thought that something had to be done.

"It was great to see him so motivated. I am extremely proud of our Charlie," she added.

Charlie's story was picked up by TV stations, and money began to flood in.

"There's something quite special about a child in the UK reaching out to the children of Haiti. It's quite fabulous," Unicef's Michael Newsome said.

The charity said the cash raised by Charlie would make a huge difference.

He's helping to provide water to hundreds of thousands of people. We're all overwhelmed with the response to Charlie's bike ride. We've never had anyone raise so much in one day," the charity added. (ANI)